BY MCKENNA DECKER
I find myself in an eerie coincidence that I am writing about the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum on the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. Before getting into the analysis of a private museum, it must be said that this museum is the most emotionally charged museum I have ever been too, especially the memorial in the museum where I saw people crying as they lit candles in memory of lost loved ones. It is important to note that this is a museum, memorial, and research center all dedicated to preserving the Holocaust and its many-pronged nature has effected its perception in the public sphere and its own understanding of the public sphere.
Even though this is a powerful, poignant reminder of humanity’s cruel past, as someone who is venturing into the world of public history it is necessary for me to remember that this is a private museum and that there are challenges that come with creating a private museum. However, I find it difficult to discuss the Holocaust Memorial Museum in a purely analytical way because it has such a deep and profound impact. I will say though, that it was impactful not only due to the fact that it deals with the Holocaust but that as a museum I was blown away.
As discussed in Artifact and Display Museums, USHMM tells the story of the Holocaust through the lens of “perpetrators, collaborators, rescuers, victims, resisters, bystanders, liberators, and survivors.” (41) The museum is unique in that you start from the top floor in the 1930s and work your way down through the years. Some of the most memorable objects and displays in the museum are a Torah that survived Nazi book burning, a train car that carried people into the death camps, a tower of photographs from a community that was wiped out from the Holocaust, and a floor filled with the shoes of those who died in the death camps. The fact that it’s a private museum is evident in the construction of the building itself. The main hall is has a glass ceiling with industrial style architecture with red brick. While the impressiveness of the building can be attributed to its newness compared to other museums like the National Museum of American History, the exhibits themselves also prove themselves to be consistently more high-tech like screens displaying old German news reels and interactive displays.
On their website, the USHMM has a list of their corporate sponsors. Their biggest corporate sponsors include Bank of America, Iron Mountain, SNCF, Trofi Security, and Akin Gump Strauss Hauer and Feld.[1] In an unexpected turn, links to books and articles that discuss critiques and controversies of the museum such as an article on the debate of actually having a Holocaust Memorial Museum in America.
As previously mentioned, the USHMM serves several purposes which has impacted its role in the public sphere. Last year, the USHMM released a statement condemning the growing casualness of the terms relating to the Holocaust in wake of comments made by congress people in connection with the Trump administration’s immigration practices at the US-Mexico border as well as by an individual associated with the USHMM. They stated that by casually using these terms complex history is being simplified, a dangerous thing for society. They also condemned it because it was and is viewed as an exploitation of the millions of people who perished and that this event cannot be compared to anything else in human history. Their multi-faceted role helped to further their authority on the subject. However, many have criticized the USHMM as it was not until US Congress people made such a comment while thorough Europe, anti-Semitic acts have taken place and have received no response, such as a march in Lithuania for Nazi collaborators.[2]
This museum is also a good museum to discuss the relationship between memory and history, as discussed in Steven Lubar’s Exhibiting Memories, especially as the number of survivors is declining. The mission of the museum is to “advance and disseminate knowledge about this unprecedented tragedy; to preserve the memory of those who suffered; and to encourage its visitors to reflect upon the moral and spiritual questions raised by the events of the Holocaust as well as their own responsibilities as citizens of a democracy.”[3] Lubar discusses how it is the job of museums to craft exhibits that help people form a more complex understanding and view of the past. By telling the story of the Holocaust the USHMM does not just present the one or two sides of the story that a majority of people are familiar with, helping to form that complex understanding. One such object in the museum that helps this is a wall with the names of those who were confirmed rescuers and protectors of those persecuted by the Nazis, it is still in active production as names are constantly being added as new records emerge and new stories are told. This is an intimate connection between memory and history.
